U.S. patent number 5,884,829 [Application Number 08/736,331] was granted by the patent office on 1999-03-23 for dual purpose staple gun tacker.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Arrow Fastener Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Rudolf Wingert.
United States Patent |
5,884,829 |
Wingert |
March 23, 1999 |
Dual purpose staple gun tacker
Abstract
A staple gun tacker for driving staples of various leg lengths
is disclosed in which the staple gun housing has a front staple gun
driving end and a base. The base has a staple discharge opening
formed therein through which staples to be driven by the staple gun
are discharged into a workpiece. A staple spacer guide is slidably
mounted on the staple driving end of the housing and includes a
free end which extends beyond the staple discharge opening and the
base of the staple gun. Cooperating means are provided on the
spacer guide and the housing to enable the spacer guide to be
retracted along the housing relative to the base, thereby to
control the position of the staple discharge opening relative to
the workpiece into which a staple is to be driven. By controlling
the position of the staple driving end of the staple gun relative
to the workpiece, the depth to which a particular staple is driven
in the workpiece can be controlled to avoid damage to the item
being stapled to the workpiece.
Inventors: |
Wingert; Rudolf (West Milford,
NJ) |
Assignee: |
Arrow Fastener Co., Inc.
(NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
24959468 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/736,331 |
Filed: |
October 23, 1996 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
227/151; 227/132;
227/109; 227/142 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B25C
1/008 (20130101); B25C 5/085 (20130101); B25C
5/11 (20130101); B25C 5/06 (20130101); B25C
5/1658 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B25C
5/00 (20060101); B25C 1/00 (20060101); B25C
5/08 (20060101); B25C 5/11 (20060101); B25C
5/06 (20060101); B25C 5/16 (20060101); B25C
001/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;227/109,132,134,142,151,123,150 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Smith; Scott A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper &
Scinto
Claims
I claim:
1. A staple gun tacker for driving staples of various leg lengths
comprising,
a housing having a staple driving end, including a staple discharge
opening in the housing;
a staple spacer guide slidably mounted on the staple driving end of
the housing adjacent the staple discharge opening and including a
free end extending beyond said opening, and
means for selectively controlling the position of said spacer guide
on the housing and the position of its free end relative to said
staple discharge opening thereby to selectively control the depth
of penetration of staples driven by said staple gun into a
workpiece;
said means for selectively controlling the position of said spacer
guide including cooperating means on said spacer guide and housing
for limiting the position to which the spacer guide can be
retracted along the housing relative to said staple discharge
opening;
said cooperating means comprising a plurality of stop surfaces
formed on said housing at predetermined distances from said staple
discharge opening and selectively adjustable means on said spacer
guide for selectively engaging said stop surfaces:
said selectively adjustable means comprising a stop plate pivotally
mounted on said spacer guide for movement therewith including an
abutment surface for selectively engaging one of said stop surfaces
in accordance with the position to which said plate is pivoted.
2. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 1 including
means for selectively holding said pivot plate in a selected
pivoted position relative to said spacer guide to selectively
engage a selected one of said stop surfaces.
3. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 2 wherein
said housing has a front cover and said stop surfaces are formed in
said cover.
4. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 3 wherein
said spacer guide is slidably mounted on said housing to partially
overly said front cover and
said pivot plate is mounted thereon adjacent said stop surfaces of
the front cover.
5. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 4 including
means on said guide for resiliently and removably retaining the
guide on the housing.
6. A staple gun tacker for driving staples of various leg lengths
comprising,
a staple gun housing having a front staple driving end and a
base,
said base having a staple discharge opening formed therein through
which staples to be driven by the staple gun are discharged into a
workpiece;
a staple spacer guide slidably mounted on the staple driving end of
said housing and including a free end which extends beyond said
staple discharge opening and said base, and
means for selectively controlling the position of said spacer guide
on the housing and the extent to which said free end extends beyond
said base, thereby to control the depth of penetration of staples
driven by said staple gun into a workpiece;
said means for selectively controlling the position of said spacer
guide on the housing including cooperating means on said spacer
guide and on the housing for selectively limiting the position to
which the spacer guide can be retracted along the housing relative
to said base thereby to control the position of said staple
discharge opening relative to the workpiece into which the staple
is to be driven;
said cooperating means comprising a plurality of stop surfaces
formed on said housing at predetermined distances from said staple
discharge opening and selectively adjustable means on said spacer
guide for selectively engaging said stop surfaces;
said selectively adjustable means comprising a stop plate pivotally
mounted on said spacer guide for movement therewith including an
abutment surface for selectively engaging one of said stop surfaces
in accordance with the position to which said plate is pivoted.
7. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 6 including
means for selectively holding said pivot plate in a selected
pivoted position relative to said spacer guide to selectively
engage a selected one of said stop surfaces.
8. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 7 wherein
said housing has a front cover and said stop surfaces are formed in
said cover.
9. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 8 wherein
said spacer guide is slidably mounted on said housing to partially
overly said front cover and said pivot plate is mounted thereon
adjacent said stop surfaces of the front cover.
10. A staple gun tacker as defined in claim 9 including
means on said guide for resiliently and removably retaining the
guide on the housing.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
(Not Applicable)
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY RESPONSIVE RESEARCH OR
DEVELOPMENT
(Not Applicable)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to staple gun tackers and more in
particular to staple gun tackers which are adapted to drive staples
of multiple lengths and shapes to varying controlled depths.
Heavy duty staple gun tackers are well known hand tools which are
adapted to drive staples of varying lengths into a workpiece in
order to tack something to the workpiece or work surface. Such
staple gun tackers are very popular in use, particularly those sold
by the Arrow Fastener Company, Inc. under the trademarks T-50.RTM.
and T-25.RTM.. Such staple gun tackers are designed to drive
staples in a range of leg lengths.
The Arrow Fastener Company has developed specific staple guns which
are adapted to drive staples having a round crown shape, which
staples are used for stapling telephone wires, electrical cables,
and the like, to a workpiece. Such staple gun tackers, while
entirely satisfactory in use, have not had the ability to control
the depth to which the staples are driven. Thus, whether the wire
to be attached to a workpiece was a small diameter wire or a larger
diameter wire, the staple was driven to essentially the same depth.
As a result, when a large diameter wire was used, it was possible
that the wire would be damaged by the bight portion of the staple
when the staple was driven. In order to avoid that possibility
sometimes larger size staples than necessary were used to hold the
wire to the workpiece.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a staple gun
tacker which is adapted to drive staples to a variety of different
depths.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a staple gun
tacker of relatively simple construction which can drive staples of
various sizes and shapes to different depths.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a staple
gun tacker of the character described which is relatively simple in
construction and reliable in use.
A further object of the invention is to provide a staple gun which
will drive staples having flat or round crowns.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a staple gun
tacker is provided which has an internal staple driving mechanism
of conventional construction. The staple driving mechanism used in
the invention can be any of the mechanisms used, for example, in
the Arrow T-50.RTM., T-25.RTM. and T-75.TM. staple gun tackers. The
mechanism, per se, forms no part of the present invention.
The staple gun tacker of the invention includes a housing
containing the driving mechanism. The housing has a front staple
driving end and a base which includes a staple discharge opening.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, staples contained
in a magazine mounted in the base of the staple gun are discharged
by a driving knife operated in the staple gun's front driving end
when the handle of the staple gun is depressed.
The bottom edge of the front staple driving end of the housing is
engaged against a workpiece when a conventional staple gun is
operated. The staple in the staple gun will then be driven to a
depth dependent upon the power of the staple driving mechanism in
the housing and the length of the staple leg. The staple gun has no
ability to control the depth to which the leg is driven.
In accordance with the present invention, a staple spacer guide is
slidably mounted on the staple driving end of the housing adjacent
the staple discharge opening in its base. The guide has a free end
which extends beyond the staple discharge opening. Means are
provided for selectively controlling the position of the free end
of the spacer guide on the housing relative to the position of the
staple discharge opening. The free end of the staple guide engages
the workpiece and thus spaces the discharge opening away from the
workpiece a selected distance depending upon its position. In this
way, when the staple is driven, the depth to which its legs can
penetrate the workpiece is controlled by the position of the guide
relative to the discharge opening. The further the free end of the
guide is from the discharge opening, the less the legs of the
staple will penetrate.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of this
invention will be apparent in the following detailed description of
an illustrative embodiment thereof, which is to be read in
connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a staple gun tacker constructed in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the staple spacer guide
and front end of the staple gun tacker shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are front end views of the staple gun tacker shown
in FIG. 1 illustrating the three positions to which the spacer
guide can be moved; and
FIGS. 6 and 7 are side views, with the spacer guide partially
broken away, illustrating the cooperating means on the spacer guide
and the front end of the staple gun housing to control the position
of the free end of the spacer guide relative to the discharge
opening of the staple gun.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIG. 1, a
staple gun tacker 10 constructed in accordance with the present
invention is illustrated. Staple gun tacker 10 includes a housing
12 of generally conventional construction containing a drive
mechanism (not shown) also of conventional construction such as is
available in the Arrow T-50.RTM., T-25.TM. and/or T-75.TM. staple
gun tackers. Housing 12 includes a front driving end 14 and a
handle 16 which, when squeezed in a conventional manner, operates
the driving mechanism to power and fire a driving knife 18 (see
FIGS. 5 and 6) which moves vertically in the front end 14 of
housing 12 to engage a staple in the front end of a magazine in the
base of the housing to drive it into the workpiece 20. The staples
are contained in a conventional magazine (not shown) mounted in the
conventional manner within the base 22 of the housing. The staples
are supplied in a conventional manner in a strip of staples adhered
together and held in place by a pusher arrangement 24, also of
conventional construction.
The free end 21 of knife 18 (shown in its raised position in dotted
lines in FIGS. 3 and 4), may be shaped in a known manner to have a
concave edge 26 between the flat segments 27 in order to drive
staples having round crowns, such as for example the staples shown
at 28 and 30 in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. The round shape 26 of
the edge of the knife edge 21 engages the round crown of the staple
so as to maintain the staple's round shape during the driving
operation. However, Applicant has found that staple gun tackers
with this rounded end for knife 18 are equally suitable for driving
flat crowned staples. In that case the flat segments 27 of knife 21
engage the flat crown of the staple 31 above the staple legs to
drive the staple into the workpiece, as seen in FIG. 3.
The front end 14 of staple gun tacker 10 includes a drive mechanism
cover 40 of generally conventional construction such as heretofore
been used by conventional staple gun tackers. The lower end 41 of
cover 40, adjacent the point at which the staple is ejected from
the staple gun, has a concave edge 76 formed in it to enable the
front end or nose of the staple gun to straddle a wire to be
secured to a workpiece.
Cover 40 also is shaped, particularly in the area 42 (illustrated
in FIG. 2), in order to provide a plurality of stop surfaces 44
along an edge of the cover, for reasons described hereinafter.
A staple spacer guide 50 is slidably mounted on housing 12 over
cover 40. Spacer 50 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. As seen
therein, spacer 50 has a front face 52 and a pair of
perpendicularly extending side walls 54, 56 which overly the sides
of housing 12 and cover 40. Side walls 54, 56 are slotted at 58 in
order to provide a pair of legs 60, 62, respectively.
Guide 50 is adapted to slide relative to cover 40, as described
hereinafter, between two extreme limits to control the penetration
of staples driven by the staple gun tacker. It includes a free end
70 and has an arcuate recess 72 formed therein for the purpose of
overlying a wire or cable, or the like, as described above with
regard to concave recess 76 in cover 40. However, recess 72 is of
greater depth than recess 76.
Spacer guide 50 is resiliently retained on the housing 12 by legs
60, 62. These legs, as seen in FIG. 2, are bent slightly inwardly.
Since the cover is formed of a resilient metal material, these
permanently bent legs apply a resilient gripping force to housing
12 which holds the guide removably on the housing while allowing it
to slide vertically with respect to cover 40. This sliding movement
adjusts the position of free end 70 of spacer guide 50 relative to
the staple discharge opening 53 (FIG. 5) in base 22 of the staple
gun. Leg 60 has an inwardly extending tab 80 which is located to
engage the conventional bumper structure 82 that extends out of the
staple gun tacker housing. This provides a lower stop for the
position of the spacer guide relative to the housing.
The upper limit of movement of the staple guide 50 is controlled by
the stop surfaces 44 previously described. These stop surfaces are
located to cooperate with a control plate 90, illustrated in FIGS.
5 and 6. Control plate 90 is a flat metal plate having a finger
extension 92 formed thereon. Finger 92 is located to selectively
engage stop surfaces 44. Plate 90 is pivotally mounted on a short
pin 94 which is in turn mounted in a pivot opening 96 formed in the
spacer guide leg 62. This allows plate 90 to pivot relative to leg
62 within a limited range of motion, the extremes of which are
shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, plate 90
can pivot between three positions to selectively cause free end 98
of finger 92 to engage one of the three stop surfaces 44. Plate 90
has three recesses or grooves 100 formed on its outer surface which
selectively engage with a small dimple or protuberance 102 formed
or stamped on the inner surface of leg 62 to hold the plate in one
of three positions, the two extremes of which are shown in FIGS. 6
and 7. By manually sliding spacer guide 50 to its lowermost
position defined by the engagement of flange 80 with bumper 82, the
operator can pivot plate 90, using the finger tab opening 106,
between one of the three positions. When the desired position is
selected, the plate is slid back upwardly to engage the surface 98
with the selected stop surface 44. This positioning of guide 50
defines the amount to which free end 70 of the spacer guide extends
beyond discharge opening 53 of the staple gun tacker. As seen in
FIG. 3, the spacer guide 50 is shown in its uppermost position,
corresponding to the position of plate 90 in FIG. 6. In this
position the discharge opening 53 is closest to the workpiece and
the staple gun can be used to drive flat crowned staples. Thus,
when knife 18 is driven downwardly to its extreme lowermost
position in the housing, it will drive the staples to the greatest
possible depth of penetration.
In the intermediate position of plate 90 wherein finger 92 is in
the central stop surface 42 the nose is positioned further down
relative to the nose 41 of cover 40, as seen in FIG. 4. This
corresponds to the position marked "3/165 mm" on cover 40 in FIG.
1. This position is preferably used with a round crown staple and
smaller diameter wires, as illustrated by the wire 120 in FIG.
4.
When it is desired to use the staple gun to secure a larger
diameter wire, for example television cable wire, it is necessary
that the crown of the staples be spaced further from the workpiece
so as not to damage the wire. To accomplish this, spacer guide 50
is slid down again on the housing to engage stop flange 80 with
bumper 82 thereby freeing plate 90 for pivotal movement from, for
example, the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG.
7. The spacer guide is then slid back up on the housing to engage
surface 98 with the forwardmost stop surface 44. When the nose of
the staple gun is then engaged against the workpiece, free end 70
of the spacer guide engages the workpiece, as shown in FIG. 5,
holding discharge opening 53 of the staple gun tacker still further
away from the workpiece than it did in the position shown in FIG.
4. In this position, when knife 18 of the staple gun tacker is
driven to its lowermost position upon operation of handle 16, the
staple will not be driven as deeply into the wood. The crown of the
staple remains spaced from the wood without damaging the larger
diameter cable wire.
By the arrangement of the present invention, the workman using
Applicant's staple gun tacker has the ability to quickly adjust the
depth of penetration of the staples relative to the particular item
being stapled to a workpiece, thereby to ensure that the element
being stapled is not damaged. The staple gun tacker will
accommodate various leg length staples, as is known in the art.
Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has
been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings,
it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may
be effected therein by those skilled in the art without departing
from the scope or spirit of this invention.
* * * * *